Shrimp Toast Recipe

Make: The Ultimate Shrimp Toast

This gives the end result a fantastic crunch and works perfectly with a hot, sharp dipping sauce made with chilies, soy sauce, garlic, and ginger.

At least once a month, my wife and I head to our favorite Chinese restaurant and indulge in a weekend brunch of dim sum.

I am certain that most people reading this are familiar with this style of eating, which is incredibly popular in southern parts of China. For those of you who are not, it consists of a procession of small dishes to be shared, and is often delivered by stern women from heated trolleys that are being pushed around the restaurant at an alarming speed.

It’s enormous fun, and a dim sum meal offers up the chance to try a range of delights like steamed dumplings, baked rolls stuffed with Chinese BBQ pork and, best of all, fabulous plates of deep-fried goodies like squid, pork belly or spring rolls.

My wife and I love them all and can often be found playing Dueling Chopsticks over the tastiest morsels. Where we come to total agreement, however, is with our favorite of all dim sum dishes, shrimp toast — bite-sized triangles of bread topped with a shrimp paste and then deep fried until golden brown and crunchy. They are so good when made fresh to order that we order a portion each and sit in silence until the last crumbs are wiped clean from the plate.

The dish originated in Guangzhou (Canton) in China nearly a hundred years ago, although there are those who claim it is a hybrid of a traditional Chinese shrimp recipe and bread introduced by foreign travelers. Whatever the origin, shrimp toast is now a dish that can be found throughout Asia.

There are many different versions, but my own favorite is that served at dim sum restaurants in the UK, where the shrimp paste-covered bread is dipped in sesame seeds before frying. This gives the end result a fantastic crunch and works perfectly with a hot, sharp dipping sauce made with chilies, soy sauce, garlic, and ginger.

Instructions 1- Remove the crusts from the bread. 2- Blend the other ingredients, except the oil and sesame seeds. Use the pulse setting so you don’t over-blend — you want the end result to have some texture. 3- Cover and chill the shrimp mix for 30 minutes. 4- When chilled, spread the shrimp mixture on each slice of bread, making sure to cover them completely. 5- Cut the slices of bread diagonally. 6- Place the sesame seeds in a wide bowl and dip each piece of bread, paste side down, until they are covered in sesame seeds (you can do this well in advance — just cover the uncooked shrimp bread and keep chilled until ready to cook). 7- Heat 1/2 inch of vegetable oil in a pan until it reaches approx 375 F. If you don’t have a thermometer, drop a small piece of bread into the oil. If it rises to the surface and starts sizzling, it is ready. 8- Fry the triangles of bread paste, side down, for two minutes. Turn over and cook for a further two minutes or until golden brown. Do this in small batches so the temperature of the oil does not fall. 9- Drain on a kitchen towel and serve while hot and sizzling from the oil.

For the sauce, mix all the ingredients in a serving bowl and chill for at least an hour to allow the flavors to combine.